Rated 40th last year, Kobe Bryant is placed by ESPN at 93rd in 2015 NBA player rankings

Five-time champion and former MVP Kobe Bryant is just a few places from 100 in ESPN's ratings.

KOBE Bryant has another source of motivation for his 20th NBA season.

In its annual NBA rankings, ESPN placed the five-time NBA champion in 93rd place. ESPN for the fifth straight year is ranking almost all of the active players in the NBA.

Battling age and injuries in the past several seasons, Bryant has seen his stock dip dramatically when it comes to his standing among the NBA’s elite players.

The ranking is based on a poll of 100 panelists who ‘should consider both the quality and quantity of each player's contributions to his team's ability to win games.’

Bryant, a former NBA MVP who will be paid $25 million this season, was placed between Miami Heat forward Luol Deng at No. 91 and former teammate and current Houston Rocket Trevor Ariza at No. 94.

Bryan’t ‘Insider profile’ states, “At this stage, he has turned into a parody of himself, with seemingly every field goal attempt coming ‘against all odds’ as Bryant dominates the ball during possessions and often shoots long jumpers against double coverage.

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After ESPN ranked the Lakers star 40th last year, the outspoken Bryant once joked in an interview that “I’ve known for a long time they’re a bunch of idiots.”

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The results of the ranking will be released in batches with the hashtag #NBArank during the next five weeks in Twitter and Facebook.